Taking Disneyland for Granted

[BoomerThePirate]

Going through the forums and seeing peoples tickers and completed trips i think to myself: Imagine if i wasn't so close to Disneyland. I'm a season pass holder and can go whenever I want to basically. I'm so lucky to have this magical place just 4 minutes away when there are families who plan trips a year in advance. It's so odd to me when I read "Disney trip 2016" when im like "Disney trip next week"

I hope one day everyone who is able - will visit and do Disneyland the way we do. For my GF and I its not even about the rides really. It's about the Disney atmosphere. I could literally hang out on main street for a few hours and still call it a successful trip.

I do wish all of the out of towners the best on there upcoming trip and may it be the most magical yet! Try not to ruin it with long waits and big crowds. Enjoy the shops and restaurants in and out of the park(resort hotels too). Look for special events. Experience limited time events. Become a pin trader! Go watch a classic Mickey cartoon on main street. Just make it an experience! A MAGICAL EXPERIENCE AT A TRULY MAGICAL PLACE!

I think i may be ranting because of the excitement building for my anniversary trip this weekend lol

Also Follow my instagram @disneyland_addicted for loads of photos of the DLH including the concierge lounge, an AP annual event monday night at Disneyland Park and more of our fun adventures there this weekend.

 

[Briarrose1306]

I totally get what you're saying even though I go a lot less than you but still more often than most (3-5 times a year). It's a wonderful feeling when you are able to stop stressing about getting on THAT ride or seeing THAT show and just being able to enjoy the atmosphere of Disneyland. It took me quite a few trips to get there but I no longer get annoyed over super long lines or closures as I know I can just do it next time. It's much more difficult to have that perspective when you only go every couple years though and I understand that too.

 

[neonderlyn]

Im jealous! My kids are finally toddlers and im so excited to start taking them. We live in washignton so its considered a big trip for us. Our hope is to go every other year but i know that wont feel like enough =(

 

[BoomerThePirate]

Im jealous! My kids are finally toddlers and im so excited to start taking them. We live in washignton so its considered a big trip for us. Our hope is to go every other year but i know that wont feel like enough =(

Thank you for waiting until they are at least toddlers... there really isnt a reason to bring them younger than that. its a hassle and they wont remember anyway. I hope you have a great trip!

 

[disneyobsessed808]

I'm an Annual Passholder too. In fact, it's a large reason I moved here back in August. I love being able to just go to the park for a few hours, go on one ride and just people watch. Or go to enjoy some of the Passholder perks like Wednesdays with Walt or the movie screenings last week.

I followed you on Instagram too! (And a plug for my own...everyone can follow me @radiopenguins )

 

[Geemo]

Living in the DLR area would be nice. I'd have an AP too.
I plan ahead for all my trips. I try to make it there every year.
The money saving tips I have learned from the DisBoard helps make that possible.

Geemo

 

[Tyggress]

I remember when DH and I moved to SoCal and decided to get AP's. I was worried for a bit that I would get bored being able to go to DL so much...that it would become blasé or lose it's magic for me.

Turns out, the opposite is true. I go once a month, on average, sometimes more (live 70 miles away)...and I have found that, like you, being an AP holder has enhanced my experience. I am FAR more patient with the crowds and people now. Where I used to get irritated when people would push and shove, I now see families and think to myself "that Father may have had to work and save for the past 5 years to have what may be a once-in-a-lifetime trip with his family"...I will gladly let them go ahead of me; they have far more to accomplish in a short amount of time. I often find myself smiling at the wonder and awe I see in little kids' eyes. The magic is definitely alive and well in DL, even for me...just in different ways.

Me...I can come back next week and hit the ride I didn't see today. I also enjoy more of the smaller experiences in the parks; something I never had time for before as I was on a time limit.

 

[BoomerThePirate]

I remember when DH and I moved to SoCal and decided to get AP's. I was worried for a bit that I would get bored being able to go to DL so much...that it would become blasé or lose it's magic for me.

Turns out, the opposite is true. I go once a month, on average, sometimes more (live 70 miles away)...and I have found that, like you, being an AP holder has enhanced my experience. I am FAR more patient with the crowds and people now. Where I used to get irritated when people would push and shove, I now see families and think to myself "that Father may have had to work and save for the past 5 years to have what may be a once-in-a-lifetime trip with his family"...I will gladly let them go ahead of me; they have far more to accomplish in a short amount of time. I often find myself smiling at the wonder and awe I see in little kids' eyes. The magic is definitely alive and well in DL, even for me...just in different ways.

Me...I can come back next week and hit the ride I didn't see today. I also enjoy more of the smaller experiences in the parks; something I never had time for before as I was on a time limit.

Exactly! I it really is the little things that make it much more than just an amusement park. i never expect special treatment but more often than not CM's make it feel special for you. Not like Six flags where there is no "magic". I also see my GF's niece and how she just lights up when she sees minnie mouse in person. For kids its truly amazing. To them that literally is mickey mouse hugging them. That is the actual Cinderella waving to them from the parade float. Its all the characters in REAL LIFE! I wonder what that must be like? I never went when i was a kid.

 

[beachdreamr1229]

I get what op is saying. We are ap holders, so it's different for us, too. But Disneyland is magical. It's not the rides or attractions that make it what it is because every park has those. It's the details--the hidden Mickey's, the old time music that fills your ears, the innocence on a child's face when they see a character walking around. I've never had a bad trip to Disneyland. Sure, some are more frustrating than others, but it's such a unique place. You can't get the same feeling at any other amusement park in California.

 

[sophies*mom]

Thank you for waiting until they are at least toddlers... there really isnt a reason to bring them younger than that. its a hassle and they wont remember anyway. I hope you have a great trip!

On our last trip, my kids were 8mo and 3yo. My 8mo was more easy going and had a better time

I appreciate the sentiment in your post, though. It will have been 2 years since our last trip when we go, and I would love to be able to go more often! I also try and encourage people who think they will never be able to afford to go. It's worth it!

 

[BoomerThePirate]

On our last trip, my kids were 8mo and 3yo. My 8mo was more easy going and had a better time

I appreciate the sentiment in your post, though. It will have been 2 years since our last trip when we go, and I would love to be able to go more often! I also try and encourage people who think they will never be able to afford to go. It's worth it!

I'm always telling people how great it is to visit and do things a bit differently than they normally would at a theme park.

 

[kitayama]

I go to Disneyland weekly, and like you I sometimes go to just hang out. I will go on rides, but that is not the main reason I am there. Even when I get "nothing", I have a wonderful time. I completely understand where you are coming from.
I can also understand the other side because I planned trips to Walt Disney World. When I went to Walt Disney World for the first time, I obsessed with planning. We had all the reservations for meals set out, fastpass+ reservations timed out, and a general plan of what we wanted to do each day. I tried to run around and not miss anything, and it was fun... But not everything I wanted it to be. Don't get me wrong, I loved Walt Disney World, but I liked my weekly trips to Disneyland more.
When I went back to WDW in January, I had no plans at all. When we saw something we wanted to do, we did it. When we were hungry, we ate whatever we could find. I did what I do at Disneyland and had a wonderful time! I know I missed a lot, but I don't care. I acted like I go to Walt Disney World weekly and just enjoyed myself.
If planning is your thing, go for it! I would not say anything bad about someone who plans out every minute of their vacation. That type of vacation isn't for everyone though, and if planning is stressing you out, go without plans and see what happens. Manage your expectations and have a great time just going with the flow!
(Oh, and if you are doing this at Walt Disney World, rent a car because finding dinner is not as easy as you would think it would be... Apparently my wife and kids wanted more than slushies and popcorn for dinner on some nights. Shula Burgers and Wendy's became frequent stops after leaving the parks. It is far easier to find food at Disneyland, and same day reservations can be made at several convenient restaurants.)

 

[Ratherbeatdisneyland]

My hubby and I dream of being AP holders someday. Don't really see it happening lol...but we dream about it!

 

[GatorChris]

We got APs for the first time in November. We live 350 miles away, so we can't just stop by or head over after a short day at work. However, we're heading back next week for 4 days, we'll be back in June for a day and a half, and we'll hit it again for a week in November. We're far away enough to not just take it for granted or as one of our weekly hangouts, but we're close enough (6.5 hour drive) to be able to go several times in a year with our APs. We're like a hybrid family! In a mini-van.

 

[BoomerThePirate]

We got APs for the first time in November. We live 350 miles away, so we can't just stop by or head over after a short day at work. However, we're heading back next week for 4 days, we'll be back in June for a day and a half, and we'll hit it again for a week in November. We're far away enough to not just take it for granted or as one of our weekly hangouts, but we're close enough (6.5 hour drive) to be able to go several times in a year with our APs. We're like a hybrid family! In a mini-van.

if it wasn't for traffic in LA i would totally go after work haha

 

[thatgrljme]

I grew up in Valencia, which isn't too far from Anaheim and I can count on one hand how many times when I lived there. I don't know if it was because I was younger, parents couldn't afford it, or whatever it was, we just didn't frequent the parks often. Now, if I could, I'd go every weekend. I'd have an AP, but I live in Texas so that isn't feasable.

 

[Disney127]

I hope one day everyone who is able - will visit and do Disneyland the way we do. For my GF and I its not even about the rides really. It's about the Disney atmosphere. I could literally hang out on main street for a few hours and still call it a successful trip.

I do wish all of the out of towners the best on there upcoming trip and may it be the most magical yet! Try not to ruin it with long waits and big crowds. Enjoy the shops and restaurants in and out of the park(resort hotels too). Look for special events. Experience limited time events. Become a pin trader! Go watch a classic Mickey cartoon on main street. Just make it an experience! A MAGICAL EXPERIENCE AT A TRULY MAGICAL PLACE!

DD and I both have APs too and we live in Canada. We would love to visit every week if we could but twice a year seems the norm for us. Just like you, Disneyland is not about the rides for us. It is the atmosphere ... of walking thru the tunnel and seeing Main Street, hearing the music and just being there. We also enjoy just sitting on a bench and people watch. We don't let the crowds, long lines or closures get to us. If we don't get to experience something, it just gives us another excuse to come back again. Of course, a Disney trip is not inexpensive but it's something that makes us happy and life is too short! And as DD(13) says, it's a place where we can be young at heart and not be judged! When we are missing Disneyland, we hop over to the Disney store or check out Youtube to tie us over until our next visit!

 

[BoomerThePirate]

DD and I both have APs too and we live in Canada. We would love to visit every week if we could but twice a year seems the norm for us. Just like you, Disneyland is not about the rides for us. It is the atmosphere ... of walking thru the tunnel and seeing Main Street, hearing the music and just being there. We also enjoy just sitting on a bench and people watch. We don't let the crowds, long lines or closures get to us. If we don't get to experience something, it just gives us another excuse to come back again. Of course, a Disney trip is not inexpensive but it's something that makes us happy and life is too short! And as DD(13) says, it's a place where we can be young at heart and not be judged! When we are missing Disneyland, we hop over to the Disney store or check out Youtube to tie us over until our next visit!

ha! we head over to the disney store everytime we go to the mall just to look around and we are always on youtube or instagram looking at stuff lol

 

[nikkislaght]

Thank you for waiting until they are at least toddlers... there really isnt a reason to bring them younger than that. its a hassle and they wont remember anyway. I hope you have a great trip!

My son was 4 months old when he first went to WWD..it certainly was not for him that we went. but rather for the 10yr triplets.. and I couldnt leave the baby at home... sometimes there are reasons to bring babies to Disneyland.. just because you wouldnt, doesnt make people that do wrong.. not that Im saying you are saying that they are wrong.. and believe it or not .. it was so much easier to have a baby at Disneyland than a toddler.. all he did was sleep and eat.. and poop.. a toddler wants to run, scream , cry and generally do everything you dont want to do..

 

[BoomerThePirate]

My son was 4 months old when he first went to WWD..it certainly was not for him that we went. but rather for the 10yr triplets.. and I couldnt leave the baby at home... sometimes there are reasons to bring babies to Disneyland.. just because you wouldnt, doesnt make people that do wrong.. not that Im saying you are saying that they are wrong.. and believe it or not .. it was so much easier to have a baby at Disneyland than a toddler.. all he did was sleep and eat.. and poop.. a toddler wants to run, scream , cry and generally do everything you dont want to do..

i get that there are reasons for why you would bring your baby. but not solely for the purpose of the babys enjoyment was all i was saying.